Vegetable Garden 101

If you are starting a vegetable garden this
year - congratulations! You are about to
join the ranks of millions of Americans who
have discovered how much fun it is to grow
their own food. However, I think it's
only fair to warn you that this is a
wonderfully addictive hobby. In fact,
gardening is one of America's favorite
pastimes. You'll understand why once you've
tasted your first home grown tomato or
enjoyed the delicious flavor of fresh corn
on the cob.

Now before you turn your entire backyard
into a vegetable plot, there are a couple
of things that will help you get your garden
off to a good start.

The Basics

I encourage you to be realistic about how much
time you have to work in your garden and the
amount of money you want to spend. It's far
better to start small so you can really enjoy
the process and be successful. You can always
expand your garden later. And you will be
surprised how much you can grow in one or two
4-foot x 4-foot wood framed beds. Learn how to
build framed beds.

Growing Season

It is important for you to know the average first
and last frost dates in your area. This will
determine your growing season. There are several
on-line sites where you can find this information
using your zip code or by checking frost dates of
near-by cities. These are just estimates, but they
give you a basic window of time in which you can
create a planting schedule. Plant tags and seed
packets will provide information such as when to
plant relative to the last spring frost. They will
also tell you how long it takes a vegetable to
produce. You can compare that number with the first
autumn frost date to decide if your growing season
is long enough for a particular plant.

Location

A successful vegetable garden needs at least 7 to 8
hours of full sun each day. To find that spot on
your property, check the area you have in mind for
your garden several times from sunrise to sunset.
One of the most common mistakes is to try to grow
vegetables in areas where they don't get enough
sunlight. Another consideration is choosing a spot
that is close enough to an outdoor faucet or source
of water so you can set up an efficient watering
system. I'd also encourage you to choose a location
where you can see your garden everyday, such as
close to the back door or from a window in the
kitchen. If you see it everyday, you are more likely
to notice when it needs to be watered or if
something is ready to for harvest.

Soil

The foundation of any great garden is the soil. If
you don't get the soil right, gardening will be a
constant struggle with less than rewarding results.
Most vegetable plants are rapid growers so they need
rich soil.

Now, don't be concerned if your property isn't
blessed with the ideal blend. This is where framed
beds come in handy. A framed bed is a bottomless
box made of boards that you place on top of the
ground and then add your own soil mix. Learn how
to build framed beds.

Soil Testing

If you opt for in ground beds it is important to get
your soil tested. The results from the testing will
tell you what amendments to add. You should also test
the soil in framed beds on a regular basis because
vegetables will deplete nutrients. You can purchase
soil test kits for instant results or inexpensive soil
tests are available through cooperative extension
offices in most states. There are also private labs
that, for a fee, can help you assess and understand
your soil's needs. Learn more about soil tests.

Water

On average, vegetable plants need about 1/2" to 1" of
water per week. Distribute moisture evenly throughout
the bed on a consistent basis.

Food

At the time of planting work compost into the soil and
apply an all-purpose, slow release fertilizer. There
are many organic, commercial fertilizers available.
Look for one with an analysis of 10-10-10 or 8-4-4.
Follow the application directions on the label.

This will be plenty for vegetables such as bush beans,
mustard greens and peas. Other vegetables such as
tomatoes and broccoli benefit from a side dressing of
fertilizer midway through the season.

Check plant packaging to determine how much feeding a
specific plant needs.

Plants

When you are starting out and using the framed boxes,
I recommend you plant vegetables that are relatively
easy to grow and don't take up much room. But even
more important, you should grow things you want to eat.

Cool Season Versus Warm Season Vegetables

You can divide vegetable crops into 2 basic categories -
cool season and warm season. What this means is that some
plants thrive in the cool temperatures of spring or fall
and can survive light frosts, while others prefer the
warm days of summer.

Planting Seeds or Seedlings

Most gardeners buy some of their garden plants such as
green peppers and tomatoes as seedlings, rather than grow
them from seeds in the garden. This ensures that they will
be able to harvest the produce earlier in the season. For
the fast growing vegetables such as lettuce, radishes and
beets, you can sow the seeds directly in the soil outdoors.

Crop Rotation

A rule gardeners follow is not to grow the same crop year
after year in the same place. Disease-causing organisms
gradually accumulate in the soil over time. Different
vegetables are susceptible to certain diseases, so rotating
crops helps avoid this problem. This rule also applies to
plants in the same botanical family. For instance, don't
plant cabbage and broccoli, which belong to the mustard
family, or tomatoes and eggplant, both members of the
nightshade family, in the same areas in successive years.